Together We Stand
by erynion
Summary: Becoming a hero has its risks. In the past year, there had been many situations that had made them feel concerned, but it wasn't until that night when they had felt totally scared. Series of oneshots happening after episode 2x06, "Enter Zoom".
1. Fatherly Concern

**Hi guys! I haven't abandoned my "nine Times" story but after watching yesterday's episode the Reverse Muse couldn't stop screaming inside my head... and that's how this story was born. It was originally planned as a oneshot, but ideas kept coming and I decided it was better to have shorter chapters focused each one of them on different characters rather than one single episode with multiple characters that may or may not interact with each other (yep, writing still in progress, so be patient!)**

 **Anyways, I apologize for any mistakes as I am not a native speaker. Feel free to leave a review or to follow/favorite if you like :) You can also PM me if you want to call Zoom a few not-so-nice things or just speculate about his identity or about the future episodes.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own them.**

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 **Fatherly Concern**

Henry sighed with relief as soon as he crossed the front door of his apartment. Home, sweet home, he thought. Sort of. Ivytown wasn't Central City, but it was nice, calm and quiet, and although he wasn't by his son's side (at least physically speaking), it wasn't too far from Central City to both stay at a safe distance from there but also to be up to date with everything going on with Barry and The Flash. It had been six weeks since he had moved from Central City, trying to make things less complicated for Barry. At first, the first days in Ivytown, he had regretted that decision… but then the first paparazzi arrived, and more had followed him, wanting to know more about the innocent man who had been in prison for fifteen years. Everything was calmer now, but he was glad he had made that decision. It wasn't like he hadn't talked to Barry for days…

…Except he hadn't.

Henry stood with his back on the front door, a serious expression on his face. He knew he shouldn't be worried; it wasn't the first time it had been more than three days without news from his son, but he couldn't ignore the feeling of a fist oppressing his gut. He didn't want to appear overly concerned, and he knew that Joe and everyone at S.T.A.R. Labs had Barry's back. Perhaps it was also the fact that he had neither heard of Barry nor Joe in the past few days; at first he had thought Joe had had enough to worry about with Francine coming back to town, but now he wasn't so sure… He just wanted to hear his son's voice just like any other day and tell him he was okay.

Full of fatherly concern and determination, he took the phone from his right pocket and called Barry. He tapped the floor with the foot while waiting for his son, but it never happened. Henry ended the call at look at the screen of his phone for a minute, lost in his thoughts. Something wasn't right. Barry's phone wasn't off, but he hadn't taken the call. It had hardly ever happened, and when it did Barry had called him minutes later while excusing himself. Maybe it was that, he thought. Central City needed saving once again and The Flash can't take calls from his concerned father while pulling people out of burning buildings. It was just a matter of time, he thought.

But it wasn't - time passed and Barry never returned his call. Almost five hours after his missed called to his son, when Henry was keeping vigil on it lying on the couch from his apartment but had almost already fallen asleep, he woke up with the sound of his phone.

"Barry"

He was almost smiling. That was it. Everyone's hero had returned home after saving them once again; it was late, but it would be okay as soon as he heard him saying hello. He took his phone without looking at the name on the screen.

"Hey slugger! You had me worried, I haven't heard from you in days and you didn't answer the phone when I called you earlier…" while talking on the phone, he relaxed and sighed, leaning on the couch and getting comfortable.

"Henry, it's Joe"

Henry didn't have too much time to get comfy; as soon as he heard Joe's voice, he stood up so quickly he felt dizzy for a moment. Even without paying attention to Joe's words, the fact that he was calling him instead of his son was something he couldn't ignore; that and the voice of the detective - he sounded just like when he had told him Barry had fallen into a coma after the lightning had struck him.

"What happened?" he sounded alarmed and scared. "Where's Barry?"

"He's in S.T.A.R. Labs. They're taking care of him"

"Joe…" Henry felt himself as cold as ice. He hadn't missed the fact that Joe hadn't answered his first question.

"I think you should book a seat on the next bus to Central City"

"Is he alive?" the former doctor felt the tears forming in his eyes.

"Yes"

Henry realized Joe's voice had trembled, as if he were not one hundred percent sure. Henry knew what it implied: not only was he a father, but he had also been a doctor for many years. Henry approached his laptop and started it, ready to get into the Internet to get his ticket to Central City, to his son, while still talking to Joe. There was no time to waste.

"What happened?" he repeated, this time his voice more serious than before.

"Zoom happened"


	2. Her Worst Nightmare

**Hi again! Don't get used to daily updates, I'm a slow writer - but I guess the unbelievably great reception of the first chapter inspired me :) Still, I'm not really sure about this chapter because some parts were really hard to write (trying to come up with the exact words to express the exact same thing the Reverse Muse shows inside your head is not a piece of cake). But anyways, I hope you guys enjoy it and don't forget to leave me a review and/or to follow/favorite if you like :) And a special thanks to** ** _Art is The Weapon_** **,** ** _silverwolvesarecool_** **,** ** _Sarah_** **,** ** _Idril of the Mountains_** **and** ** _Gin_** **for those amazing reviews; I haven't had the time to reply to each of you privately but I do really appreciate them :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own them.**

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 **Her Worst Nightmare**

Iris leaned on the back of her chair with a sigh, rubbing the temples with her hands. She had been staring at the computer screen for almost ten minutes, but she hadn't written any word yet. Her mind wasn't on the piece of news she was supposed to be writing for the next day's newspaper, she was too busy feeling worried for Linda and Barry. Unconsciously, she found herself looking at the empty bottle of beer she had drunk earlier that was still resting on her table. Despite she had called Barry as soon as she had seen Zoom taking Linda, neither Barry nor Linda had called her.

She spent the next minute looking at the screen, both distracted and hoping the piece of news could write on its own without her. She looked distractingly at her phone, hoping for Barry and/or Linda to call and tell her they were both fine so her heart could return to its normal rhythm. God, she just needed a distraction, she thought, sighing once again.

At that moment, a man stepped into the Picture News office, leaving a trail of blue lightning behind him. But she hadn't seen him yet - she just heard the noise. She turned to the newcomer just as he stopped in front of everyone in the office, holding someone with a hand; not a human, just a puppet under his control. As soon as she realized who was that person (which didn't take too long because she knew him like the back of her hand), she felt the blood leaving her body, leaving her colder than ice.

"Oh, Barry"

She felt herself walking, moving, but she didn't really know what she was doing; it was as if her body took control of her when her mind was unable to.

"Look at you hero" Iris didn't even hear the cameras shooting and taking photos from everywhere around her; if he had been paying attention to them, she would have prevented that from happening and from humiliating her friend, her brother. But she just couldn't heard them, not when she was seeing Barry looking deadly being held with just one hand by someone so nightmarish that still couldn't believe was real. She felt her hands covering her mouth with horror. "This man is no God. He is nothing!"

Then, in less than a second, they were gone and Iris was left feeling helpless and more terrified than she had ever been in her life. But even after Zoom and Barry were gone, she couldn't take her eyes from where they had been in front of everyone until just a moment earlier. She was gasping, unable to get oxygen in her lungs; in her brain, playing over and over and over again was the image of Barry's bloodied and beaten face, not even flinching when Zoom was shaking his lifeless body in the air.

When Iris was returning to her desk, desperate to get her phone to call her dad and S.T.A.R Labs, she realized everyone was in almost the same state of shock as she was. During that past year, The Flash has become not only a metahuman doing good for the city, but Central City's hero, the only one powerful enough to stop threats that could have never been stopped if it hadn't been for him. That image didn't match with the one they had just seen - it had been something no one would ever be able to forget.

She had already grabbed the phone with her hand when she saw her father's name appearing on the screen. With trembling fingers, she answered.

"Iris!"

"Dad! We need to call S.T.A.R. Labs" she was talking too fast, anxious and scared. She felt her legs were trembling, so she put a hand on her desk, redistributing her weight. "Zoom has…"

"…Barry, I know" Iris opened her eyes with horror. She was feeling as if she had been trapped in a nightmare and couldn't wake up. "He was here".

"Where is he?" she sounded desperate; she wasn't referring to Zoom.

"I don't know" Iris bit her lip. She hated that feeling of confusion, of despair, of fear, but it made her more uncomfortable hearing that too in her father's voice. "Stay where you are"

"But Dad..!"

"Please, Iris. I'll call you back"

As soon as the call ended, she threw her phone to her desk out of frustration. How was she supposed to wait there and pretend like nothing had happened? She just couldn't. She felt her eyes wet but controlled herself on time; however, if she had started crying and screaming (the two things she just really wanted to do, apart from throwing away all the stuff she could get her hands on), nothing would have really seen her. Looking around her, all the office was full of activity, more active than any other normal day. Iris frowned when she saw one of them typing quickly on the computer, probably the body of the news telling everyone what had just happened. At that moment, she hated them all - they were treating The Flash not just like the wonderful person they didn't know was under the mask, but like a piece of meat with which a particularly hungry tiger had just played before eating it.

She gave a startle when her phone rang once again. As soon as she saw the name on the screen, she felt as if her heart had stopped beating.

"Dad?" her voice trembled, full of fear. It was impossible to ignore the uneasiness in her stomach, but she just wanted answers.

"Barry's at S.T.A.R. Labs. I'm gonna leave these informs on Singh's desk and heading there as soon as possible"

"I'm coming with you" her voice was filled with determination and stubbornness. She hadn't needed to ask about Barry's condition because she had seen it with her own eyes and knew what the answer was - and the urgency in her Dad's voice had just confirmed it. "I'll meet you at the station"

With nothing else to say, she ended the call with her dad. Still with trembling legs, she turned off her computer, forgetting the news she had been writing an hour ago. It wasn't completed, but she knew it wouldn't be needed for the next day's newspaper, according to the fervor and the urgency with which their partners were working. She felt sick, tired and scared, like the vulnerable girl she never was. She just wanted to get some air and grab some coffees on the way to her Dad. She knew it was going to be a long night.

After giving the last documents to her now boss (the former had died a week ago but they had already found a replacement), she put on her coat and went out. It was a good thing Jitters was in the same street as her office, and not too far from the police station. Her brain was over functioning - was that how Barry felt when he was running? She was in a never ending spiral: her stress made her think of Barry, which reminded him of the scene that had happened earlier at Picture News, that reminded him of Barry's limp form, which made her remember the time when her dad told her he had been struck by lightning. It had been a nightmare she wished she would never have to live again, and yet…

Iris tried to remain in control of herself; if she let herself to feel, she would be lost. She managed it, at least for some time. When she met her Dad and the two got in the car and headed to S.T.A.R. Labs, she focused on the car in front of them, not letting herself to cross looks with her dad. But when they arrived and sprinted all the way towards the cortex, and saw a pool of blood in the floor, surrounded by lots of papers in complete chaos, she felt it was getting harder to regain control. For a moment, she saw Eddie's corpse, getting colder with each passing second, the light of his blue eyes fading as death was claiming him, while she just stared at him, unable to do anything...

"Cisco!" she heard her Dad call.

Before Cisco got to them, they got to see Barry. Whereas her Dad ran towards him, towards his son, she stood were she was, completely frozen; the coffees she had been holding fell to the floor, but she didn't noticed it.

"Barry" she whispered

Barry lied in bed, more dead than alive, surrounded by too many machines and too many wires attached to his body - it was almost like going back in time to when he had been in his nine-month coma and no one knew if he would ever wake up. She noticed he was also wearing a neck brace and that a large white patch was covering his lower abdomen.

She felt as if she was watching a movie. She wanted to scream, to cry, to run away, but found herself unable too, her eyes unable to stop looking at Barry. Her eyes saw her Dad getting into Barry's room, mumbling with tears in his eyes while Caitlin and Wells worked on his son; she wanted to go there too, stroke Barry's hair with tenderness and love, hold his hand and not move until she saw his bright green eyes once again.

She blinked and shook her head when she felt two hands grabbing her shoulder firmly.

"He's going to be fine" Cisco said, looking at her with the same sad and scared look everyone had.

Iris looked away. She couldn't control the tears coming from her eyes; she had been doing it for too long and now it was like when the ocean devoured mercilessly a wrecked boat made of putrefied wood.

"He doesn't look fine, Cisco!" she cried, looking at Barry for a second before turning his head to the Latino.

"He is not" His voice was low; his face somber. Iris gulped. "But we're not gonna let him slip away from us so easily".


	3. Righting Wrongs

**Okay, I think I might be running a fever or something because THREE UPDATES IN A ROW?! I honestly can't believe it, I guess I can update fast every now and then XD Thanks to everyone following/favoriting (seriously guys, you are amazing!) and specially to** ** _locaxlaficcion_** **,** ** _silverwolvesarecool_** **and** ** _Idril of the Mountains_** **for your motivating reviews :) I hope everyone likes this chapter as much as the previous ones - to be honest I'm pretty nervous as it is my first time writting both Jay and Wells (although the second one makes just a little cameo, but still).**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own them.**

 **Righting Wrongs**

Jay closed his eyes when the water came in contact with his face; he relaxed, letting the transparent liquid take away all the tension, frustration and disappointment from the previous days. No matter what earth he was in, some things never changed: Big Belly Burgers, coffees and the relaxation of a hot shower before going to bed. He stood under the pouring water and, for a moment, he forgot about Zoom, about his missing powers and about Harrison Wells, but also about Cisco, Caitlin and Barry.

He hadn't been lying when he had called Zoom a monster, and he hadn't lied when he had told them no human had enough power to stop Zoom; he remember each one of the many times he had been arrogant enough to believe that, and he still hadn't forgotten how he barely had escaped and hidden under a rock, like a dog licking his wounds after losing against another dog. And yet, they had preferred to trust someone like Wells, someone who had just popped up in front of them as if he were just Jesus Christ, someone hiding more things than he was revealing. He sighed and shook his head, trying not to think about that. It is called a relaxing shower, not a philosophic one, he thought.

When he was finished, he wrapped a towel around his lower abdomen. He got into his room and turned on the TV (he hadn't still gotten used to those flat screens they had in that earth… they just looked fragile, as if the mere wind could make them fall and break).

 _"…_ _well, John, that' s absolutely terrifying. I mean, it's the first time something like this happens. On the other hand, it makes me wonder: hat if it wasn't real? It may even be just a kid's prank, right? Technologies are incredible nowadays; I think we all remember that man with the iron suit flying above Central City some months ago…"_

Jay was looking for some clean clothes, but the mention of the man with the iron suit made him stop. Wow. That was something that hadn't definitely happened in his earth. He would have a lot of anecdotes to tell his grandchildren when he returned home… although he would have to marry someone and have children first.

 _"_ _Yeah, we all remember that guy… He was seen multiples times in Star City before the name-change. It's curious it's been the same time without hearing from him and without Ray Palmer. What if Mr. Palmer was…?"_

Jay took a deep breath. It hadn't taken him too long to find his underwear and a pajama but socks were different. Finding a pair of matching socks in that drawer was harder than finding the Grail. Hell, it was so chaotic that he wouldn't be surprised if he ended up finding that before a single pair of socks…

 _"_ _I don't think so, John. I mean, Mr. Palmer is dead, but the other guy can just be on vacation in the Bahamas or something… or maybe he discovered being a city's hero was too risky"_

 _"_ _Yeah, well… no pain no gain, right? But let's not change the topic; we have enough conversation granted with the footage received from Central City Picture News some hours ago_ "

There they were! Jay grabbed the two black socks with relief and closed the drawer before reaching the corner of his bed and leaving the clothes there. Besides, although he hadn't been paying too much attention to the TV before, it was different after hearing about the footage from Picture News. Not only worked one of Barry's friends there, but also the doppelganger of Dr Light. He sat on the corner of the bed and started to dress up without looking at the TV.

 _"_ _Of course! But, and I mean this in the case this wasn't some prank of a kid who's good with computers and technology, what happens now? I mean, is he dead?"_

 _"_ _I don't really want to think so, Diane… But the images speak for themselves. That guy was holding The Flash with one single hand and shaking him as if he were a puppet!"_

Jay had only managed to put on the underwear and the t-shirt, but he had stopped putting on the rest of the clothes when he heard the name of The Flash. He raised his head in less than a second and looked at the screen for the first time since he had turned it on. It was a round table of famous journalists, one of Channel's 52 best informative late night programs. At the bottom of the screen, he could read the sentence: "Central City's hero defeated: is The Flash dead?", whereas at the top right, a small screen showed the footage they had been referring to; Jay froze when his eyes met Zoom's menacing figure, shaking Barry's lifeless body in front of everyone at Picture News.

 _"_ _I still can't believe this had really happened. I mean, I've seen The Flash with my own eyes facing other criminals. I was in Central City when he faced Leonard Snart and Mick Rory in the middle of the street. I saw him get hit with their weapons, but the guy didn't even flinch, and he didn't stop until he knocked them out. But this… I just hope he isn't dead, but it's hard not to think that"_

 _"_ _I also hope he's still alive. But even if he is, what happens next? Yesterday, The Flash was Central City's hero. Today…"_

Jay turned off the TV with the face full of concern, anger and shame. He was worried about Barry after watching what he had just watched, angry at the journalist for doubting about The Flash and ashamed he hadn't stood by Barry's side to prevent him more insistently from doing what he had ended up doing. He took his phone and called Caitlin; it was one of the moments in which he missed his powers - if he still had them, he would be at S.T.A.R. Labs in two seconds, even in one, and he wouldn't need to make that call.

"Caitlin!" he spoke before she could say a word. His voice was full of impatience and anxiety. "What happened? Where's Barry?"

"Jay" she sounded surprised, exhausted and concerned. "He's here, at S.T.A.R. Labs" According to how she sounded, Jay knew Barry wasn't doing exactly okay. He frowned. "How did you…?"

"It's all over the news" he heard Caitlin steps and then, one second later, a TV being turned on. "Channel 52"

"Oh my… "For the next minute, all Jay heard were the voices of the other people, but then there was silence. "That's really disrespectful" he perceived the anger in her voice, the same one he had felt earlier.

"Caitlin" he needed her to focus on him. "How's Barry?" The fact that Caitlin took some time to give him an answer informed him of the seriousness of the situation.

"He… uh… He's in really bad shape" her voice trembled. "We managed to stabilize his vitals, but he's still unconscious"

"I'm on my way"

As soon as he ended the call, he was on his way to get some jeans, his pajamas already forgotten. Some minutes later, he was already outside his apartment with a plastic bag with thermos full of hot coffee; Caitlin sounded like she needed one, and he was sure she wouldn't be the only one. As he made his way to S.T.A.R. Labs in a painfully slow velocity (that is, as a normal human being without super speed usually walked), he couldn't stop thinking about his ignored warnings about Zoom. He understood why Barry hadn't heard him, although it hurt him - it was the typical mistake he had done too many times since he became The Flash. But still… he didn't like Harrison Wells around. Maybe if he hadn't been there, Barry wouldn't have been so reckless.

He got into the building at a fast pace and punched the bottom of the elevator; it was a good thing he didn't have super strength or he might have broken it - he usually used more strength than needed when he was nervous. In the elevator, he crossed his arms on his chest and tried to keep his mind blank, but he didn't succeed. He wanted to arrive to the cortex as soon as possible, but he wasn't expecting to meet with anyone when the door of the elevator opened.

"Wells" he sounded confused and a little angry. He had never liked that man, but that day he disliked him even more. He turned when the man managed to hit him in the shoulder even when he hadn't even looked at him as he got through the open door of the elevator. "What are you…?"

"I need some air" Jay looked at him with a confused face. Wells hid more than he showed, but he looked lost in his mind, his eyes filled with something that appeared to be guilt and sadness. Jay immediately thought he was feeling like that because of Barry.

"I just hope the next time you call me a coward no one else gets injured" there was pure hate in Jay's words, but not without reason, he thought. Even Wells knew he had caused that situation.

"I just hope the next time you run away no one else gets injured" Jay saw the same hate coming from Wells' eyes, and the glasses made him look even colder. His words had been said with venom, as if Wells was a snake and Jay a fat mouse - Jay did feel like a fat mouse in front of a snake. In a couple of seconds, Wells had highlighted one of his biggest regrets.

The doors of the elevator closed, leaving Jay alone. The blonde man made his way to the cortex, where he met Detective West, his daughter and Cisco; Caitlin was in front of a figure lying on a bed. Barry, he thought. He couldn't see the young man as Caitlin was blocking his view, but he saw too many machines around him and all the screens of the room turned on. In the cortex, he noticed Cisco was in the entrance to the med bay, his body language like that of a guardian dog, whereas Detective West looked angry and desolated - his daughter, as he found out a minute later, had fallen asleep in one of the chairs and had her head on the table, next to the computers, but still her face was filled with concern.

"How's Barry?" he asked to no one in particular.

"Still no change" answered Cisco. He realized he had seen him looking at Barry and Caitlin when he kept talking. "She's doing some tests on him". There was something about the guy's face he didn't like, but he didn't want to ask more questions about Barry's condition in front of Barry's foster-father.

"I'm sorry I didn't stick around" he couldn't keep quiet any longer; the detective's angry look had been making it more and more difficult. "I should have stayed". He said the last words looking at Joe.

"And he should have listened to you instead of doing what… Wells said" the detective looked at the exit of the cortex and got more serious. Jay felt confused; he was starting to think the detective's anger wasn't entirely because of him, and that Wells' expression wasn't entirely because of Barry. "Don't worry, we're even". The older man sighed. At that moment, Caitlin stepped out of the med bay and Joe looked at her with urgency. "Can I…?"

"Of course" she answered. Jay saw no smile on Caitlin's face, her wet eyes filled with something different from their usual bright and happiness.

Taking one look full of love at his daughter, he got inside the med bay as Caitlin met Cisco and him in the cortex. Everyone stared at Joe while he made his way to his son's bed and took a seat on the chair next to it. Joe's eyes never left his son's side… and Jay, once he saw Barry, found it difficult to take his eyes of him. There were too many wires attached to his body, he had a neck brace and even a nasal cannula supplying oxygen to his body; he saw a big purple bruise on his ribs, meaning some of them were broken, and a white patch on his abdomen - it was a shocking view, as shocking as watching Zoom showing Barry's battered body to the media.

"Believe me, he looks better. Some of the bruises had almost faded" said Caitlin, and Cisco nodded behind her.

"How bad is it?"

"He has three broken ribs on his left side and two on right. Zoom stabbed him in the abdomen, but fortunately nothing vital was affected. He also had a split lip, but that is already healed."

Caitlin whispered quickly, but there something about her face that was telling him she was missing something, and Jay knew instantly what: she hadn't said anything about the brace.

"What else?" as he asked it, he knew it must have been the worst part, as she had omitted it not only to Joe but also to him. He got his confirmation when she bit her lip and exchanged a doubtful look with Cisco.

"Zoom broke his spine, which caused him respiratory issues. But even with his accelerated healing, we won't exactly know how bad it is until he wakes up"

"Then we wait" Jay said with determination. He wasn't going to run again.

"It's going to be a loooong night" Cisco sighed. Jay showed the Latino the plastic bag. "What's in there?"

"Something that might help"

As soon as he took the first thermos, he smiled when Cisco's face was illuminated when he saw what it was. Jay extended his arm and offered the thermos to Cisco, who took it with his two hands and an anxious look.

"¡ _Ven con papá_!" In other situation, he would have even laughed at the guy's face, but that day he just looked at him with a smiled that faded quickly when he saw Barry again. "You are the most kindest human being on this earth, Jay" he said as he drank eagerly.

"'Most kindest'?" he asked confused, but Cisco didn't reply to him as he was completely lost in the coffee.

"That's a really good compliment considering you're from another earth" said Caitlin.

"I guess this one would have to do for the rest of us"

Caitlin shrugged her shoulders and took three glasses (Iris didn't need coffee as she was already asleep) to pour the content in them. Caitlin drank hers as eagerly as Cisco, and Jay thought they must have been through a real ordeal to stabilize Barry; at least he had found a way to help too, even though if it had been with thermos of coffee instead of with his recently-unutilized Flash suit and missing super speed.

Before taking a sip at his glass, still with it in one of his hands, he looked at Joe. The detective looked as if he needed the coffee too, but didn't appear to be leaving his son's side any time soon. Decided to make things right that time, Jay took Joe's glass with his free hand and approached him from behind, stepping quietly inside the med bay not to disturb the silence of it (only interrupted by the beeping machines around Barry's bed).

Jay extended the arm with Joe's coffee to the detective and he looked at him with confusion.

"You look like you could use one of this too"

The detective said nothing, but Jay saw the gratitude in his eyes and that was enough for him. He stood behind the detective, next to Barry's bed, keeping vigil over the fallen hero in complete silence. Each one was lost in their thoughts, but they shared a common one: the impatience to see Barry's green eyes once again.


	4. United

**Hi guys! Thanks again for your amazing responses to this little story; I wasn't expecting it to be so well received, to be honest. This episode features Team Arrow because who wasn't disappointed they didn't show something like this on last week's episode of Arrow? So here's my attempt to fix that. A special thanks to everyone following/favoriting and to** ** _silverwolvesarecool_** **,** ** _PSML_** **,** ** _ForgottenDreamer98_** **,** ** _Sarah_** **,** ** _Idril of the Mountains_** **and** ** _Leah_** **for your reviews; this story is almost completed, and I really appreciate everyone who has joined me in this ride :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own them.**

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 **United**

When she opened her eyes, she couldn't hide the radiant smile on her face; it appeared every time she looked at him, but especially when he was sleeping and looked more vulnerable than when he was wearing his green suit. To her right, Oliver was profoundly asleep, but of course her boyfriend was so perfect he didn't snore. One of Oliver's Queen many virtues, she thought. Sighing happily, she got up from the bed and picked up her clothes, spread all over the room. It wasn't like when Oliver and her were living alone - now they shared the house with Ray, and given the fact that he had been her boyfriend for some time, she didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable, although she hadn't heard him and that could mean he could be still asleep.

It turned out he wasn't, as she discovered some minutes later (when she had already dressed up); she found him in the kitchen, hands busy between bowls and frying pans. He turned before she said anything, as if he just knew (Jedi-like, she thought) she was standing behind him. And he was even wearing an apron! At that moment, she would give a hand, an arm or even a leg to watch a cooking competition between Ray and Oliver, although she didn't think Ray could ever beat him because everything Oliver ever cooked turned magically into gold.

"Pancakes?" Ray asked happily, showing her the bowl in one of his hands.

She smiled and was heading to the kitchen to give him a hand when Ray made a noise with his mouth to make her stop.

"You don't want my help?"

"Nope" he turned to pay his full attention to the pancakes. Leaving the bowl in the countertop, his eyes focused in the frying pan, being extra-careful not to burn its content. "Your technology knowledge is admirable, Felicity, but you're an awful cook"

"Wow, well, okay. I'll leave you on your own then" suddenly, she felt really stupid standing in the middle of the house with absolutely nothing to do. She looked around the gigantic house. She sighed and lowered her shoulders. "I guess I'll just set the table" she smiled when Ray didn't object.

Some minutes later, when she was leaving the forks and knives on the big wooden table, she heard noises coming from the bedroom she shared with Oliver before hearing the shower in the bathroom. She got lost in her thoughts, imagining her amazing and muscular boy completely naked, his body wet. When she returned to reality, her face got red when she realized Ray was looking at her with arched brows and a confused face.

"Give me the pancakes, I'll serve them" she said, pretending the last seconds never happened.

After setting another plate for Oliver, she took the remote of the tv and left it on the table after turning it on. While the screen filled with sound and colors, Felicity got next to Ray and took with his hands the plate full of delicious pancakes. She was on her way to the table when she raised her head and looked at the screen.

Then, she froze as her world paralyzed.

"Oh my God" she mumbled, eyes on the screen, unable to look anywhere but there. She was so shocked she didn't even realize she wasn't holding the pancakes anymore; a cracking sound arrived to everyone's ears but Felicity's.

"Felicity?"

Ray called her from the kitchen but she didn't hear him. She also heard a noise coming from the bathroom, but she didn't listen. All she could see was the video being displayed on the channel that was currently on their TV - on the video, a gigantic figure in a red suit was holding a lifeless body in what appeared to be an office. She didn't need time to recognize the unconscious figure (because no, he couldn't be dead, absolutely not) because she had known him for some time, before the S.T.A.R. Labs accident that gave him his powers. She didn't recognize the other figure, the one wearing a darker, more distorted and creepier version of the other's man suit, but what she was watching was enough to make her feel absolutely terrified.

"Felicity, what is…?" Ray asked behind her. "Oh"

As she met Ray's eyes, she recognized in his the same concern and fear she was sure was in hers. She turned to the TV again, covering her mouth with her two hands, while reading the letters that appeared on the bottom part of the screen: "Central City's despair: the fall of its hero". She hardly noticed Ray's arm around her shoulder, but she did noticed how her ex took the remote (he had also forgotten about the pancakes they would never got to eat) and turned up the volume.

 _"…_ _and nothing has been heard since then of The Flash's location and current status. Our reporter James Johnson is in Central City, we'll connect with him as soon as new details are heard. I think I speak for everyone when I say our hearts are with the city - we hope your hero stays safe…"_

Felicity saw ray turning off the TV when they started talking of another completely different topic that didn't interest them. She turned when she heard a noise behind them and met Oliver's concerned, scared and angry eyes.

"Who is that guy?"

"I don't know" her voice trembled. She knew Oliver hadn't been referring to Barry.

"I'm gonna call Thea to tell her I'm postponing today's meeting with the campaign manager. We're leaving for Central City"

"I'm gonna call Cisco and Caitlin" she mumbled, heading with Oliver to their bathroom to retrieve her phone. As Oliver had found him first, she saw him leaving the room and talking in the living room to his sister, whereas she just stood there, typing on the tactile screen with trembling fingers. As she was waiting for anyone to answer her, she sat on the corner of the bed, realizing she was alone as she looked around the room. She gave a startle when she recognized Cisco's voice. "Cisco! What happened? Where's Barry? Is he okay?" All the color that hadn't left her face when she had watched the TV left when as she was hearing Cisco's words. "Isn't he supposed to have super healing?" she knew she sounded desperate, but it didn't matter. Her mouth opened but no word came out of it until a moment later, too in shock to find coherent words that could make actual sense. "We're coming. Me, Oliver and Ray. Yeah, I said Ray. Turns out he wasn't dead, just shrunk"

She ended the call before Cisco had the time to answer. They would have plenty of time to get up to date, when they were all reunited under S.T.A.R. Labs roof and the three of them had seen Barry with their own eyes. As she exited the room, she saw Oliver on one corner still talking to Thea on the phone, whereas Ray putting on his A.T.O.M suit.

"What are you…?" she asked him, leaving the phone on the table.

"I'm officially dead, so it would be weird to use my credit card to book a seat on the train"

"I can go by train; Oliver can take you with his motorbike"

"And wouldn't it be weirder" Ray rolled his eyes, with an almost smile curving his lips upwards.

"I guess you're right" she shrugged her shoulders and watched in silence as Ray finished dressing up. It didn't look the same when Oliver gave her a ride with the motorcycle than if it happened with the two men. It wasn't long until Oliver met them in the middle of the living room. "What did Thea said?"

"She's got us covered"

"You told her Barry's secret?!"

"No" Oliver furrowed his brows with confusion. "She has also watched the news and she knows I know The Flash"

"Okay then,… so, let's go, right?" Ray sighed and looked at them. Felicity nodded at him and followed him with her eyes as he headed towards the balcony and took flight.

Five minutes later, Oliver and Felicity were perfectly dressed up; it was a miracle, she thought, she was able to walk so fast despite wearing heels and still feeling her legs trembling because of the continuous state of nervousness she's been in all morning since she watched the TV. Fortunately, there were available tickets for the next train to Central City and they had the exact time to get them and take the train without missing it. Felicity sighed and set her eyes on the window without seeing anything in particular, leaving her bag on her lap.

"I can never forget the black hole that opened in my heart when I was told Barry was in a coma. I mean…" she looked doubtful at Oliver; she didn't want him to get jealous because that was then and now they were an actual couple, but she needed to talk or she would get really crazy. "It was the same I felt after you went to fight Ra's. Or after the explosion at Palmer Tech. I just…" she turned her head and closed her eyes with fury, trying in vain not to cry. "I mean, what is wrong with you guys? It just seems that after we recover one of you, it's the turn to lose another one!"

She covered her face with her arms, the back of her hands in her front. She was really worried about Barry after what Cisco has told her on the phone, despite the Latino had told her he was showing signs of improvement. She got sick every time she started to think what it took to leave someone with Barry's abilities in such a state, more dead than alive. She noticed a firm grip on her knees - Oliver's hands.

"We are not losing Barry, okay?" it was his gentle, delicate tone that made her look at him with pleading eyes.

"No, we're not losing him _this time_ , but what happens…?" a noise coming from Oliver's mouth silenced her. She looked around, at first thinking she had been talking too loud and she had been exposing Barry's secret to the other passengers, but she discarded that option when she saw the people around them wasn't paying any attention to their conversation.

"Don't think about the future, Felicity. Today, let's worry about today. We'll see what comes tomorrow"

"I just… some wounds never really heal, I guess" she looked at Oliver conspicuously; she wasn't thinking only about Barry anymore, she was also imagining Oliver's corpse with Ra's sword piercing his cold skin. She shivered. She realized Oliver must have guessed that too, as he got up and sat next to her.

"Come here"

To be honest, she didn't actually move, but didn't complain either when Oliver's arms pulled her next to him, her head on his chest. What was the magic in hearing a beating heart to calm her nerves? She was sure even the fiercest of lions would calm down if his hear was put next to his mother's chest… although that was something she wasn't even going to try, for sure.

"Barry's been through a lot in his life, but nothing has ever slowed him down. Not even a nine-month coma. He'll pull through" she sobbed while heard him talk; the fact that he was stroking her hair with one hand while the other was on her back was having a soothing effect for her heart.

They made the rest of the trip in silence, lost in their thoughts. Felicity knew that although Oliver was the silent type of guy, he was also concerned about Barry, but she said nothing to him. She didn't actually know how he was able to maintain that calmed and confident façade, but it was something she admire - while Oliver was like that, she had had her own crisis in the train. The perks of Oliver five-year mysterious disappearance, she thought.

It was unbelievable, she thought, that Central City was as vibrant and happy as ever, as if nothing had ever happened with its hero (except if she looked at the newspapers covers, of course - they had all the same photo of the creepy guy in black holding The Flash as if he were a fish he had just caught). That was something Star City or Starling never were; it was never as dark as Gotham, but it was close. And now, with Darhk, it was darker than ever - she wondered what Captain Lance was expecting when he allied with a man named like that. Oh, yeah. The "desperate measures for desperate times" thing.

"Hey guys!"

She felt Oliver's grip on her arm to stop her. She shook her head and looked confused to where Oliver was looking, and their eyes watched Ray landing next to S.T.A.R. Labs entrance, next to one of the building's corners that wasn't so in front of everyone's sights.

As the three of them were together again, they made their way into the building in silence. Felicity noticed the lack of personnel in the main entrance; she knew S.T.A.R. Labs hadn't been the most popular laboratory in the city since the particle accelerator explosion almost two years ago, but now, after the former owner's death (which was technically Harrison Wells but it wasn't really him but a guy wearing Well's meat suit pretending to be him after killing the original one - what was wrong with the world, really?!, she thought), it looked… solitary. As in "the secret lair of a superhero about which no one in the city suspects about" kind of solitary.

When they got outside the elevator, everything was silent. Felicity looked confused and nervous at Ray and Oliver, but since they let her take the lead towards the cortex, she was the first to enter the room. At first, she saw no one. But then she looked at the med bay and saw the figures of both Caitlin and Cisco hovering over a bed - Barry.

She was on her way there when a noise came from behind. As she turned, Ray and Oliver got in front of her defensively, but still she could see a blond, tall man that wasn't definitely Eddie because he was dead.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

"We can ask you the same thing" Oliver asked. Ray nodded, his arms crossed on his chest.

"I know you" the blond man said with surprise, his face still serious. "you are the man in the iron suit they talk about on TV"

"Ray Palmer. And you are…?"

"Jay Garrick" Jay extended one arm to stretch Ray's hand, but Felicity noticed he didn't do the same with Oliver. "I guess it's true, then" She didn't really understand what was true, but maybe Ray did and that's why he didn't ask so she decided to keep quiet. Besides, now Jay was looking at Oliver in a not-really-friendly way, the same as Oliver, so she had other things to worry about.

"He's Oliver Queen" she decided to say before Oliver could screw up and they ended up in a fight because she hadn't signed up for a fight, but for visiting a friend. However, she wasn't expecting the shocked look Jay had after hearing her. "What? You thought he was dead?" Jay nodded. "You should probably watch the news more often. What earth do you come from?!" she asked with sarcasm, rolling her eyes. Three years ago it was normal the shocked look after seeing Oliver Queen alive in front of you, but now? That Jay-guy must have been a real lab rat isolated from the world or something, she thought.

"From Earth-two" Felicity (and she was sure Oliver and Ray too) looked at Jay with confusion. Was it a joke? Jay turned to Oliver. "Aren't you related to Robert Queen, are you?"

"He was my father" Oliver said. "Why are you…?"

"OH. MY. GOD" a voice coming from the med bay's entrance made everyone turned, the previous conversation suddenly forgotten. "Two superheroes from one earth and another one from _another_ earth!"

"Hello to you too, Cisco" Felicity rolled her eyes, but she felt her lips curving upwards.

"I'm so geeking out right now!" Felicity rolled her eyes again when Cisco ignored her; the Latino greeted the newcomers and Felicity returned the hug. She noticed Jay had sat down again; he must have thought they weren't intruders after witnessing Cisco's reaction, but she would have to ask Cisco and Caitlin him anyway. Thinking of Caitlin made her look to the med bay again, and Cisco caught her. "He's doing better. He woke up an hour ago"

The sighs of relief from everyone filled the room, and Felicity had almost completely believed it… until Oliver broke the silence.

"What's wrong?"

Felicity felt anxious. Had Oliver said wrong? What was supposed to go wrong, Barry had super healing, all he had to do was waking up and he had already woken up, so…?

"Zoom broke his spine, among other bones" he grimaced "And he couldn't feel his legs when he woke up"

"I want to see him" she said. Her eyes were wet and hurt, but she couldn't allow herself to cry. She was just a normal girl with nothing to complain about, not when the fastest man alive couldn't feel his legs. It would have been even funny, she thought, it was even ironical.

Cisco lead them to Barry's room, and the three of them followed Cisco. Caitlin exited the room after they entered, giving them space, but not before hugging each one of them, especially Felicity, with whom she had befriended in the last year. Cisco then left them alone with Barry and the three of them took positions around his bed: Ray sat on the chair next to Barry, Oliver stood stoically next to his feet and Felicity sat on the bed and grabbed Barry's hand with one of her own.

Saying he looked bad was an understatement. There were no bruises to see (they had already healed, according to Cisco), but it was shocking seeing him with the nasal cannula and the neck brace, and wires attached to his bare chest to control his breathing; all of those objects were a sign of how critical the situation had been. But all Barry did when he saw was smile at them.

"Hi guys" he said to the men. Then he turned his head to Felicity as much as the brace let him and his smile got bigger. "Hi Felicity. I wasn't expecting you to com…"

"Damn you, Barry Allen!" she punched him in the arm with little strength; he seemed fragile and she didn't want to hurt him, but she still felt in the need to punch him.

"What was that for?!" he asked her confused with one arched brow. Felicity was about to reply when Ray interrupted her.

"We wanted to come as soon as we heard about you"

Felicity's heart dropped when Barry's face changed. Before he just looked vulnerable, but on the mend; now, after Ray's words, he looked completely defeated. She even felt bad for punching him when Barry lowered his head.

"It's everywhere, right?" he sighed. Felicity wasn't sure if he did remember the moment or he knew after Cisco and Caitlin had told him, but she didn't ask. Instead, she squeezed his hand, as if to emphasize the support she wanted him to realize she always gave to him. For a moment, she thought Barry would crumble right in front of them; she was even ready to hold him, but suddenly Barry changed his mood and appeared to be as happy as he usual self as he turned his head to Ray: "By the way, Ray, welcome to the land of the living once again. How does it feel to be a walking dead?"

The room filled with laughs, even Felicity's, although she didn't miss the fact that Barry's eyes were now trying to ignore her. She knew he knew she knew he couldn't lie to her, and that was a not-too-nice way to run away from issues that did already exist and were not going to disappear by ignoring her. On the other hand, she reminded herself to be empathic; not only had Zoom (that was what Cisco had called the guy in black, and it was a surprisingly suitable name for such a creepy and evil individual) broken him in every way possible, Barry had just woken up and he needed time to recover both physically and emotionally - and the second ones were the ones that always took longer to heal.

"To be honest, I haven't had the time to get used to it. But I guess it's cool to have a normal size again" Felicity rolled her eyes. Now she wanted to punch Ray; the guy had just been rescued after being held captive by Darhk for months and there he was, making jokes about that. Unbelievable! She refrained herself, thought, as she knew she would make herself more pain than she could ever do to him as he was wearing his A.T.O.M. suit. "And it seems I came back at the right time"

"What do you..? Oh" Barry's happiness disappeared once again. "You don't have to do that. CCPD has everything under control"

"You don't actually believe that, right?" everyone looked at Oliver, who had remained in silent until that moment. "What happens when another metahuman attacks your city?" Felicity got a little angry at her boyfriend when Barry lowered his eyes with shame.

"What Oliver means is… you don't have to be ashamed, Barry. You just have to let us do our job". she replied, smiling at his friend.

"But guys… you already have Star City"

"But it has Diggle and the rest of the team to watch over it, not to mention the SCPD" replied Oliver, more empathically than earlier. Felicity looked at him with a smile and nodded. "That's what friends are for, Barry. We stay here. United".


	5. Epilogue

**Hi guys! This really short epilogue ends Together We Stand. Thank you so much to those of you who have been reading since the very first chapter, and to everyone following/favoriting. A special thanks to the reviewers:** ** _Sirnonenath_** **,** ** _Guest_** **,** ** _charizardatemymathteacher_** **,** ** _Sarah_** **,** ** _silverwolvesarecool_** **,** ** _ForgottenDreamer98_** **and** ** _Idril of the Mountains_** **\- your encouraging words have been all the inspiration I've needed to keep writing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own them.**

* * *

 **Epilogue**

After getting out of S.T.A.R. Labs and running as fast as he could, his legs finally gave up on him before getting to the nearest breach and he let out a scream of frustration.

He had been close.

He remembered everything, from the hero's initial arrogance to the fear in his swollen eyes after he had broken him in every possible way. Only one hit left, and he wouldn't have had to worry about the Scarlet Speedster ever again.

But that had been his mistake.

As he was holding The Flash in the air with one single hand, in front of his friends (in front of Wells), he had been too busy watching the light fading from his eyes. He was enjoying it so much that he didn't notice the movement around him; he always checked his surroundings to have the upper hand and get advantage over his adversaries, but that time he had let his guard down.

Despite his legs didn't seem to work, he managed to get inside an abandoned warehouse before finally falling to the floor. He squeezed his fist, not even flinching when the pointy object he had inside punctured his suit and his hand.

He had been so close.

But then, as he was about to rip The Flash's heart with his hand, he had been surprised when he felt a pinch on his neck. Releasing his grip on the speedster, he had fallen to the floor next to his unconscious body but he still managed to get on his feet, although clumsily.

Lying on the floor of the warehouse, with one hand, he took of his mask and threw it away, out of rage.

He had been _too_ close.

But despite everything The Flash had managed to escape alive, although barely. No doubt he had underestimated him. He had thought he was like The Flash from his Earth, a lone wolf, so he hadn't even bothered to prevent other people from helping him.

Not anymore.

Besides, he had been the winner that night, not The Flash. And he would make sure he didn't make the same mistake twice.


End file.
